


In the Half-Light

by autumnstar



Series: In the Half-Light [1]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-09 04:03:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12268512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumnstar/pseuds/autumnstar
Summary: Chloe listens in on a brotherly conversation she really wasn’t meant to hear, and tries to work out what’s actually going on with her partner.(Vaguely set around 3x01)





	In the Half-Light

Voices were the first thing that swam into Chloe’s conscious as she woke up. The second was the pounding ache in her head. She groaned and pressed her face into the pillow, and noticed a third thing. She wasn’t in her own bed. The sheets and the pillow against her mostly-bare skin were too soft and silken to be her own.

It should have worried her that she knew exactly whose bed she was in without looking, and the fact that she’d turned up drunk at his place _again_ , but she was alone. Chloe opened her eyes slowly, and was relieved it was still mostly dark. Dawn had barely broken, and out through the open doorway she saw Lucifer in the soft lighting of his bar. He was talking to someone, but Chloe couldn’t tell who until they stood beside her partner.

“I should’ve known you’d have company,” Amenadiel teased his brother softly and accepted the drink he was offered. She wondered if she should get up and let them know she was awake, but then she saw her clothes scattered across Lucifer’s bedroom floor. At least she’d kept her underwear on this time, but she really didn’t want Amenadiel to see her like that, in Lucifer’s bed.

“It’s not that kind of company,” Chloe heard Lucifer correct, and she looked back up as he took a sip of his drink. His brother smiled faintly and didn’t seem convinced. “If it was, I wouldn’t be here talking to you.”

“Then who--?”

“It’s Chloe,” Lucifer answered softly, and she had to close her eyes as the brothers turned to look towards the darkened room. His answer, his hushed voice and the way he said her name, threatened to make Chloe smile. The room may have been mostly dark, but she didn’t want to risk the brothers seeing her _smiling_ when she was supposed to be passed out.

“What happened?” She heard Amenadiel ask, and slowly opened her eyes again to look at them.

“Not what you’re thinking, sadly,” Lucifer answered. “She went out with Maze, said something about a tribe, and...” He waved a hand towards his bed, and the memories of her evening out with Maze, Linda, and Ella started to come back to her. It had been a fun night, and she really hadn’t drank as much as her head was telling her she had, then it was over. Ella had called an Uber, Maze and Linda took one together, and Chloe suddenly remembered telling her driver to take her to Lux. Why had she done that?

“I don’t know why, brother,” Lucifer interrupted her thoughts, and Chloe realised she’d missed something Amenadiel had asked. “Why does the Detective do anything?” He sounded bitter.

“She chose to come here,” Amenadiel said, as if he was trying to reason with Lucifer. “She _chose_ to come to you, brother.” Chloe herself couldn’t argue with that, but she frowned when he said ‘brother’ again. Why did they always do that? She didn’t know of any other siblings that constantly referred to each other as such. Maybe one of her theories of them being from some sort of cult was right, or maybe they were from a crime family of some kind? Monks called each other brother, but she doubted either of them had ever been a monk. Especially Lucifer.

The only thing that stopped her from really pursuing any of those ideas, was that whenever she saw Lucifer and Amenadiel together, they really did act like brothers. It was probably nothing that they kept saying ‘brother’. She was likely just overthinking some childhood nickname.

“You know it’s not as simple as that,” Lucifer whispered back, and topped up his drink. “She probably didn’t want to go back to a spawn-less house.”

“Come on, you know that’s not why she came here. She came because she wanted to see you.” She felt as if she was missing something. Amenadiel seemed set on convincing Lucifer that she _chose_ to go to Lux, but why wouldn’t she? Why would Lucifer need convincing that she chose to go to him?

“You don’t know that,” her partner spat back, sounding almost like a child. He composed himself a moment later, taking another sip of his drink.

“No,” Amenadiel answered gently. “Maybe you should just ask her yourself, Luci.”

 _Luci_ . That made Chloe smile. She’d heard Amenadiel call him that before, and once or twice she’d wondered how Lucifer would react if she called him that. _He’d probably hate it_ , she’d decided, but the thought of his surprised reaction only made her smile more.

It was clearly a nickname only his big brother was allowed to use, and that was another thing that Chloe wondered about. Even seeing the two brothers together, she couldn’t imagine Lucifer as a little brother. It was even harder to imagine him as a child. She couldn’t picture him as the shy or thoughtful type, but then the loud and outgoing sort didn’t seem to fit him, either. Not the _real_ Lucifer she so often saw hidden under that club owner exterior.

 _He was probably a handful_ , Chloe decided sleepily as she heard the two brother’s talking in the background. _Hyperactive, unruly, and definitely rebellious_ , _but not a bad kid._

“I’m not waking her just to ask why she’s here,” Lucifer shook his head and tried for a smile, but Chloe could tell it was forced. Amenadiel could, too.

“Chloe cares about you,” he told his brother, and Chloe watched as Lucifer began to pace. He looked as if he wanted to say something, probably to disagree with Amenadiel again, but his brother kept speaking. “She does. Probably enough for her to accept you, if you’d only show her.”

“ _Probably_ isn’t good enough,” her partner returned, in something of either frustration or worry; Chloe couldn’t tell. “He’s already manipulated me, brother. First the Detective and now these win--” Lucifer cut himself off when he realised his voice was rising. So he really didn’t want to wake her, which meant he wouldn’t want her listening in on this conversation. Chloe closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

“Dad’s already done enough. Showing _them_ to the Detective is probably exactly what He wants,” Lucifer finished quietly. If there was ever a problem with him, Chloe had quickly learnt, it always seemed to stem back to his parents, but what did his father have to do with her?

She wondered what his parents had really been like, and all those other siblings he’d often mentioned having. Amenadiel was the only one she’d ever seen visit, and she’d heard Lucifer rant about his father dozens of times. There was Charlotte, of course, but she wasn’t old enough to have been around when Lucifer was a little boy. All Chloe knew was that her partner’s real mother had abandoned him, and his father - ignoring the whole God thing - was abusive.

 _Lonely_ . Chloe mentally added to her list of things she pictured child-Lucifer being. _Rebellious and lonely._ She felt the overwhelming urge to get up and hold him, but then he’d know she’d been listening.

Opening her eyes again, Chloe peered out of the open doorway. The brothers had lapsed into silence for a moment as they drank, and Lucifer had moved to the piano. He looked as if he wanted to play it, and she knew he would have done if she wasn’t there.

“Don’t do it again,” Amenadiel broke the silence, but Lucifer didn’t react. All he did was throw his head back and down whatever was left of his drink.

“I’ll pretend you didn’t say that, brother,” her partner answered, and there was the edge of a warning in his voice.

What was he being told not to do? Whatever it was, he was clearly intending to do it again, and that set off several alarm bells in Chloe’s head.

“Please, Luci,” the other man’s voice was so hushed and gentle, Chloe didn’t know how he managed to still sound so urgent. “This isn’t about Father, or the abomination of what you’ve done, this is about you cutting--”

“Careful,” Lucifer warned.

“ _Hurting_ yourself,” Amenadiel corrected, and Chloe felt her stomach drop. She knew her partner was reckless, he did some stupid and dangerous things, but actually, actively hurting himself?

She wanted to get up and run to him, but hearing Lucifer’s derogatory snort made her stay put. Chloe tried to steady her breathing, and tightly closed her eyes against the prick of tears. It could have meant anything, she tried to reason with herself. There were lots of different ways a person could hurt themselves, it didn’t have to be physical, but then the thought of Lucifer hurting himself in any way made her chest ache.

Whatever had happened between them, whatever might still happen, Chloe knew her feelings for him were still there. He was in pain. Something was happening to him to upset him, and he wouldn’t tell her what. All she could think to do to comfort him was to hold him, but she knew he wouldn’t let her.

“It almost sounds like you care, brother,” she heard Lucifer finally respond, and felt the urge to tell him that of course his brother cared. He had a lot of people who cared. _She_ cared. He didn’t need to hurt himself, in any way.

“You can’t keep doing this every time they come back.”

“I can,” Lucifer said stubbornly, “and I will, until He gets the message.”

“Can’t you see them for the gift-- the _miracle_ they really are?” Amenadiel threw back, and Chloe felt herself frown. Who were they talking about? Why was Lucifer hurting himself when they visited?

“I’ve had enough miracles,” Lucifer answered bitterly. “There’s one in my bed.” _What_? Was he calling her a miracle?

Chloe peeked an eye open and saw the sadness that had fallen over her partner’s face. He stared down at his empty tumbler, turning it around in his hands, and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Behind him, Amenadiel sighed and approached him. He placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, and Chloe was surprised when Lucifer didn’t shrug him off. He looked so broken. Chloe felt the bite of worry threatening to make her cry again, and she closed her eyes.

Several long moments went by before she heard the elevator doors slide open and close again. She kept her eyes shut, but it was another minute or more before she heard movement at the piano. The slow, unsure footsteps of Lucifer grew closer, and it sounded as if he hesitated at the steps before he came into the room.

Knowing he was there, and probably watching her, made it harder for Chloe to feign sleep. She desperately wanted to open her eyes and look at him, but then he’d know she’d been listening. Chloe felt guilty about that now. She shouldn’t have listened in on the private conversation between him and his brother.

She heard Lucifer sigh and move around to the other side of the bed. The shuffle of fabric followed him, and the unmistakable sound of his belt hitting the polished floor.

Of course Lucifer wouldn’t think to sleep in the guest bedroom. That made her smile again, just slightly. It also made her realise how much she trusted him. Chloe didn’t feel nervous about him sharing a bed with her, and she knew she’d been right to trust him when she felt the bed shift under his weight behind her. Lucifer stayed firmly on the other side of the mattress, with not a single part of him touching her. Chloe tried not to think about why she felt a twinge of disappointed.

She waited a little longer, listening to his heavy breathing grow steadier, and quieter. Until she was sure he was asleep. As carefully as she could, Chloe turned over to face him. He was lying on his back, with his face perfectly highlighted by the first light of dawn. The sadness she’d seen before had drifted away, lost to the peaceful expression of sleep. It was a bit odd seeing him like that. He looked so rested and calm, with no sadness, no teasing grin, and no worry over whatever it was that had made him hurt himself.

Without thinking, Chloe shuffled closer to Lucifer and lay down by his side. He didn’t stir. The even rise and fall of his chest gave her a little rush of bravery, or maybe it was just stupidity. She pressed herself into his side and rested her arm over his stomach.

He froze, and Chloe was sure she felt her heart stop. She worried she’d overstepped an unspoken boundary. Maybe he’d move away, or get up. It took her a second to get over her panic and realise that he hadn’t gone anywhere. The steady rise and fall of his breathing started again, and Chloe breathed a sigh of relief.

As she drifted off, she was only vaguely aware of an arm wrapping around her waist and tugging her closer, and the warmth of his hand resting over hers.

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't sleep last night, so this happened. Idk if it's any good or not, but I'm posting anyway. I kept thinking I wanted to try and write Amenadiel at some point, and this seemed like a good way to test writing him, even though it's all really about Lucifer and Chloe.
> 
> Also (since my urls are different) if anyone wants to talk on tumblr, my url's mareyshelley.


End file.
